Yes, it's true. I haven't fallen off the face of the earth – just moved to Tennessee.

And yes, there is a difference.

Table of Contents

1. Editor’s Corner Kick
2. The Laws of The Game – Law 1
3. Soccer Game: 2 v 1
4. Free Videos
5. Soccer Christmas

1. Editor’s Corner Kick

Things are finally starting to settle down.

Back in early August I found out that the family and I were going to be relocated about 600 miles away due to a job change. The kids and I stayed in temporary housing for about a month in the interim period between houses and I got to be both mom and dad.

Yes, I have a new-found respect for Mom.

I am still adjusting to the local soccer situation. I'll write more about that in another newsletter. I was able to get my referee recertification done last weekend and am looking forward to getting involved again this Spring.

I’m backed up on email AND website work so if you’re still waiting for a reply I apologize. I had a huge number of contacts and feedback during the Fall season and I really appreciate it.

Speaking of which, my free ebook on basic soccer rules has been very well received. Several local soccer organizations gave the rule book out to parents and coaches and that is fantastic!

I have a couple of new contacts with impressive credentials wanting to guest write for the newsletter. Look for those in the new year.

Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.

2. The Laws of The Game – Law 1

Law 1 is titled “The Field of Play”.

I’m only going to discuss one part of this law today - Field Markings.

From FIFA,

The field of play is marked with lines. These lines belong to the areas of which there are boundaries.

The two longer boundary lines are called touch lines. The two shorter lines are called goal lines.

All lines are not more than 12 cm (5 in) wide.

The field of play is divided into two halves by a halfway line.

The centre mark is indicated at the midpoint of the halfway line. A circle with a radius of 9.15 m (10 yd) is marked around it.

Other markings on the field include the goal area, penalty area, penalty arc, penalty mark, and corner arc.

For field marking definitions and a good soccer field diagram I suggest you visit my soccer field page.

10 Simple Soccer Rules for Baffled Parents

Now entering its third printing, the main rules of soccer that a parent or volunteer coach needs to know are explained in a simple manner and wrapped into a free pdf formatted ebook for anyone to download and use. The book is only 142kb so it’s a quick and easy download.

Best of all, it’s FREE!.

Get it now before I run out of copies. It’s a limited edition you know.

Look for version 2 in the near future. If you have some friendly advice for the next version, just let me know.

If you really want to learn the rules yourself you should try the two-hour audio download of youth soccer expert Karl Dewazien explaining the Laws of The Game. Check out my review and you will see why I can recommend this without qualification!

3. Soccer Game: 2 v 1

Here is another good game for working on passing and the evil passing shadow.

Two Against One in a Square

This game can be found on Page 61 of Organizing Your Youth Soccer Team.

Equipment: 1 ball, 4 cones
Area Size: 10 x 10 meters

Organization

A and B will try to get as many passes as possible to each other within the square before C breaks up the play. Whenever C breaks up the play, he or she changes with the player touching the ball last. If the ball goes outside of the square, the player last touching the ball becomes the defender. Compete to see which pair has the highest number of continuous passes.

Instructions

The ball handler should utilize pass feints as an alternative to passes. The teammate gets good practice moving out of the passing shadow. The size of the square can vary. Higher experience level requires a smaller square.

Soccer game courtesy of Organizing Your Youth Soccer Team Online Soccer Drill and Coaching Ebook

4. Free Videos